Julian Green

Julian Green scored his first 2. Bundesliga goal on this lovely volley

Published Feb. 6, 2017 4:48 p.m. ET

Caitlin Murray

It didn't take long and Julian Green's move to Stuttgart is already paying off.

The U.S. Men's National Team prospect scored his first goal for his new club on Monday and it was a rather nice one. Green ran onto a lofted ball and met it with a one-time strike to double Stuttgart's lead over Fortuna Dusseldorf.

http://streamable.com/ieizb

It's only his first goal for Stuttgart, but it's his first goal in the 2. Bundesliga and a huge step forward for the German-American. Consider this: coming into Monday's match, he had last scored in official league play nearly a year ago, when he scored a goal for Bayern Munich II vs. Rain am Lech on Feb. 26, 2016. Even then, that was way down in the fourth tier of German soccer. He did score in the German Cup for Bayern Munich in October, but it didn't translate into a role for regular season competition.

Green has had multiple-goal games in friendlies for both Bayern Munich and the USMNT, but that hasn't been enough to get him to break through to the starting XI on either team. That's why he moved to Stuttgart in December: to get regular, high-quality minutes in games that matter. It figures to boost his chances of earning a spot on the USMNT and, if all goes well, he might earn himself a promotion into the Bundesliga.

With Stuttgart's win over Dusseldorf on Monday, the club has broken a three-way tie at the top of the table for first place in the 2. Bundesliga and they sit firmly in the promotion zone. If Green can keep scoring big goals, he can be a key part of Stuttgart's promotion to Germany's first division. There is a lot of season left to go, but Stuttgart remain a favorite to nab one of the two promotion spots.

Welcome to the 2. Bundesliga, Julian Green.

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